Today's "Online Drive" profiles the Expos' Web site, at
www.montrealexpos.com. The site is powered by Vincenzo
Communication Design, which has worked with the team for two
years. The team pays Vincenzo an undisclosed amount in a
year-to-year contract. Expos Coordinator of Broadcast
Services Marc Griffin handles the operation of the site and
serves as the content liaison between the team and Vincenzo.
SHOW ME THE MONEY: The team does not sell advertising
on its site but does feature select billboard sponsorships.
IBM is the billboard sponsor of the site's home page and
also titles the site's special team quiz section as part of
its sponsorship with the team. Another billboard sponsor,
Montreal Casino, can be found on the team bios page.
Griffin says that the team would "eventually like to"
include full advertising, but he said any changes to the
site are on hold due to the team's uncertain future in
Montreal. The site does include a section devoted to the
planned Labatt Park. Tickets are not sold by the team, but
rather through a link to Canadian ticket service Reseasu.
The site can be accessed in English and French and features
radio broadcasts of games in both languages along with post-
game shows from its flagship stations (THE DAILY).
IT'S A HIT: The team's site had 1,400,000 hits during
the last two weeks of May, its most recent measurement. In
comparison, during the first two weeks of May in '98, the
site had 500,000 hits. Team stats are up-to-date.
BONJOUR LES EXPOS? Griffin says that the team currently
views its Web site as a communication tool, but it "might
eventually be a revenue builder." He said the growth of MLB
on the net has given him ideas for the future. Griffin: "You
can really tell that the teams are improving on their data.
People that surf on the Web are baseball fans and they are
looking for that information" (THE DAILY).
